Sink assembly system and method of installation

ABSTRACT

A sink and basin system for installing into a cabinet and counter assembly for use as a work station, and more specifically for stainless-steel sink systems. Some embodiments of the sink may include a plurality of ridge-elements located along the front and rear of the sink basin. These ridges can allow for receiving supports on the lower faces of the ridges, and allow for the placement of temporary or permanent in-sink accessories on the upper faces of the ridges. A support structure secures the sink and basin system into the cabinet, and a foil-backed foam board or wrap is placed between the support structure and the sink for prevention of condensation and for sound dampening.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates generally to a sink and basin system and method for installation thereof, and more specifically to a specialized, secure, and sound-dampened work-space sink system.

2. Description of the Related Art

Existing methods for installing under-mount sinks (particularly stainless steel sinks) generally require attaching the sink to the bottom of the countertop through the use of either an adhesive or a mechanical fastener. Mechanical fasteners introduce the risk of damaging or cracking the countertop (usually a natural stone or a stone composite). Adhesives run the risk of failure over time due to the lengthy intended lifespan of a typical sink installation. Existing sinks and basins used in kitchens and work stations lack adequate sound-dampening and are generally difficult to install for customized situations.

Further, stainless steel sinks traditionally suffer from issues of condensation formation on the underside. This can happen when cold items like ice are placed in the sink or, depending on climate, just from running cold tap water into the sink. Stainless sinks will generally either not address this problem at all and have a bare steel underside or have a thin (typically in the neighborhood of 0.1 mm) latex (or similar) spray on coating on the bottom.

This latex spray is also the primary prior art for sound deadening in existing stainless steel sink systems. The other typical sound deadening technique is to use foam or rubber pads. These pads are not intended to contact any installation structure, but only use their own weight as a sound deadening mass. These pads do not cover the entire exterior of the sink, but generally just selected spots.

Heretofore there has not been available a system or method for a sink system with the advantages and features of the present invention.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention generally provides a sink and basin system for installing into a cabinet and counter assembly for use as a work station, and more specifically for stainless-steel sink systems. Some embodiments of the sink may include a plurality of ridge-elements located along the front and rear of the sink basin. These ridges can allow for receiving supports on the lower faces of the ridges, and allow for the placement of temporary or permanent in-sink accessories on the upper faces of the ridges.

During installation, side-mount boards are installed within the cabinet assembly which support the side ends of the sink. Additional spacer elements may be required to create a snug fit for sound dampening purposes. Optional front and rear supports would also be used to increase stability and noise dampening. An optional foil-backed foam wrap or block may be inserted to further increase noise dampening. Preferably the support structure will be such that the foam is snugly fit between the sink exterior and the support elements. The foil-backed foam also improves the cosmetic appearance of the underside of the sink compared to the unfinished steel or latex spray options

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The drawings constitute a part of this specification and include exemplary embodiments of the present invention illustrating various objects and features thereof.

FIG. 1 is a three-dimensional exploded isometric view of a preferred embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is an assembled isometric view thereof.

FIG. 3 is a three-dimensional isometric view thereof shown installed into a cabinet and counter-top assembly.

FIG. 4 is a three-dimensional isometric view of a sink element thereof.

FIG. 5 is a top plan view thereof.

FIG. 6 is a side elevational view thereof.

FIG. 7 is a front elevational view thereof.

FIG. 8 is a bottom plan view thereof.

FIG. 9 is a three-dimensional exploded isometric view of an alternative embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 10 is a three-dimensional isometric top view thereof.

FIG. 11 is a three-dimensional isometric bottom view thereof.

FIG. 12 is a top plan view of a sink element thereof.

FIG. 13 is a front elevational view thereof.

FIG. 14 is a right side elevational view thereof.

FIG. 15 is a bottom plan view thereof.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS I. Introduction and Environment

As required, detailed aspects of the present invention are disclosed herein, however, it is to be understood that the disclosed aspects are merely exemplary of the invention, which may be embodied in various forms. Therefore, specific structural and functional details disclosed herein are not to be interpreted as limiting, but merely as a basis for the claims and as a representative basis for teaching one skilled in the art how to variously employ the present invention in virtually any appropriately detailed structure.

Certain terminology will be used in the following description for convenience in reference only and will not be limiting. For example, up, down, front, back, right and left refer to the invention as orientated in the view being referred to. The words, “inwardly” and “outwardly” refer to directions toward and away from, respectively, the geometric center of the aspect being described and designated parts thereof. Forwardly and rearwardly are generally in reference to the direction of travel, if appropriate. Said terminology will include the words specifically mentioned, derivatives thereof and words of similar meaning.

II. Preferred Embodiment Sink System 2

As shown in FIG. 1, the present invention provides a sink assembly system 2 made up primarily of a sink 4 and a support assembly 22 which are installed within a cabinet 30 and counter 28 system as shown in FIG. 3. The support assembly 22 is made of a pair of side panels 26 which are mounted to the interior sides of a cabinet 30, and an optional (but preferred) pair of front and rear supports 24 which help to snugly secure the sink 4 within the support assembly 22. Also optionally, a foil-backed foam board 20 or wrap can be used to be placed between the support assembly 22 and the sink exterior basin wall 16 for sound suppression. FIG. 2 shows the sink 4 installed within the support assembly 22, which would then be installed within the cabinet 30 and counter 28 of FIG. 3. The foil-backed foam board 20 or wrap provides an aesthetic improvement to the cosmetic appearance of the underside of the sink assembly compared with unfinished steel or latex spray options typically available.

As shown in FIGS. 1-8, the sink 4 includes at least a first ridge 12 and a second ridge 14 along the front and rear portions of the basin. Each of these first 12 and second 14 ridges has a top face and bottom face. The top faces of these ridges 12, 14 can be used to install various accessories 32 within the sink, which may include features such as a strainer bowl 34 as shown in FIG. 3. A rim 10 around the sink 4 allows the sink to be securely mounted to the mounting assembly 22 and to be sealed against the counter 28. The basin 6 of the sink 4 includes a drain 8 having a drain hole 18 for removing water and other debris from within the sink. As shown in FIG. 7, the basin 6 slopes toward the drain 8.

The supports 24, 26 would generally be plywood for cost and usability. Hardboard sheets (not shown) can also be used to fill in any remaining gaps between the side supports 26 and the cabinet 30 walls. The hardwood filler, side supports 26, and cabinet 30 walls would likely be glued together. The purpose is to install the side supports 26 against the walls of the cabinet 30 to support the weight of the sink 4 and to provide a large plane of constant physical contact with the sink side walls 16 to create sound deadening performance. The front and rear supports 24 provide additional functionality. The front support 24 would ideally extend to cover the entire front portion of the sink 4.

The foam board 20 would preferably be a 3 mm thick XPE (cross-linked polyethylene) foam with a blue PET (polyethylene terephthalate) and an aluminum film with a laminated covering. It is attached directly to the sink 4 exterior basin 16 using an adhesive. When pressed between the sink basin exterior 16 and the supports 24, 26, it produces superior sound deadening performance.

The use of side mounts to install a stainless steel sink is necessary and an improvement over existing stainless steel sink systems as they require sound deadening that is not necessary for cast iron, granite composite, or fireclay sinks due to their very large mass. A very tight fit for sound deadening purposes improves sound deadening for stainless steel sink systems as described above.

III. Alternative Embodiment Sink System 102

FIGS. 9-15 show an alternative embodiment sink assembly system 102 made up primarily of a sink 104 with a rim 110 having an underside 111 and a support assembly 122 which are installed within a cabinet and counter system similar to how the previous embodiment is shown to be installed in FIG. 3. The support assembly 122 is made of a pair of side panels 126 which are mounted to the interior sides of a cabinet, and an optional (but preferred) pair of front and rear supports 124 which help to snugly secure the sink 4 within the support assembly 122. Also optionally, a foil-backed foam 120 wrap can be used to be placed between the support assembly 122 and the sink basin 106 exterior basin wall 116 for sound suppression. FIG. 10 shows the sink 104 installed within the support assembly 122, which would then be installed within a cabinet and counter, similar to the previous embodiment shown in FIG. 3.

It is ideal to use the foam wrap 120, or alternatively foam boards 20 as shown in the previous embodiment, to ensure tight interface between the support assembly 122 and the sink exterior basin wall 116 for optimal noise suppression. As shown in FIGS. 9-11, wrapping the foam wrap 120 around the entire exterior of the basin wall 116 provides the best results.

It is to be understood that while certain embodiments and/or aspects of the invention have been shown and described, the invention is not limited thereto and encompasses various other embodiments and aspects. 

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed as new and desired to be secured by Letters Patent is:
 1. A sink system comprising: a sink assembly comprising a basin having a drain, a front wall, a rear wall, a pair of side walls and a rim atop said front wall, rear wall, and pair of side walls, wherein said front wall, said rear wall, said pair of side walls, and said basin defining a sink structure having an exterior face and an interior face, said interior face defining an interior volume; a support assembly comprising a first side support and a second side support, wherein said first side support is affixed to a first cabinet wall and said second side support is affixed to a second cabinet wall; said support assembly configured for receiving said sink assembly; and wherein said first side support and said second side support are configured to press against said exterior of said pair of side walls of said sink assembly such that said first side support and said second side support provide sound deadening performance of sound within said sink assembly.
 2. The system of claim 1, further comprising: said support assembly further comprising a front support and a rear support; wherein said front support is configured to press against said exterior of said front wall such that said front support provides sound deadening performance of sound within said sink assembly; and wherein said rear support is configured to press against said exterior of said rear wall such that said front support provides sound deadening performance of sound within said sink assembly.
 3. The system of claim 1, further comprising: a foam liner comprising a cross-lined polyethylene (XPE) and further comprising a laminated aluminum layer, said foam liner configured to be placed against said exterior of said basin and said support assembly; and said foam liner configured to provide sound deadening performance of sound within said sink assembly.
 4. The system of claim 3, wherein said foam liner comprises a plurality of boards.
 5. The system of claim 3, wherein said foam liner comprises a wrap.
 6. The system of claim 3, wherein said foam liner completely covers said exterior face of said sink assembly.
 7. The system of claim 3, wherein said foam liner further is configured to prevent condensation from forming on said exterior face of said sink assembly.
 8. The system of claim 1, further comprising: a first front wall ridge and a first rear wall ridge configured for receiving an accessory within said sink assembly such that said accessory rests atop said first front wall ridge and first rear wall ridge and spans across said interior volume of said sink assembly.
 9. The system of claim 8, wherein said accessory comprises a strainer.
 10. The system of claim 1, further comprising: said sink assembly comprising a top flange configured for resting atop said support assembly; and said sink assembly configured for placement within an opening of a counter top.
 11. The system of claim 1, wherein said sink assembly is comprised of stainless steel.
 12. A method of installing a sink assembly into a cabinet, the method comprising the steps: installing a support structure within a cabinet, said support structure comprising a pair of side supports, a front support, and a rear support, and wherein said pair of side supports are affixed to respective cabinet walls; installing a sink assembly within said support structure, said sink assembly comprising a basin having a drain, a front wall, a rear wall, a pair of side walls and a rim atop said front wall, rear wall, and pair of side walls, wherein said front wall, said rear wall, said pair of side walls, and said basin defining a sink structure having an exterior face and an interior face, said interior face defining an interior volume; installing a foam liner between said support structure and said sink assembly, said foam liner comprising a cross-lined polyethylene (XPE) and a laminated aluminum layer; and providing sound deadening to said sink assembly with said foam liner and said front and rear supports of said support structure.
 13. The method of claim 11, wherein said foam liner prevents condensation from forming on said exterior face of said sink assembly.
 14. The method of claim 11, wherein said foam liner comprises a plurality of boards.
 15. The method of claim 11, wherein said foam liner comprises a wrap.
 16. The method of claim 11, further comprising the step of completely covering said exterior face of said sink assembly with said foam liner. 